Alone
by Mysty Midnight
Summary: Gajeel would prove to Metalicana - whether the dragon was dead or had just abandoned him – that he was strong. He would make it alone./ A look into Gajeel's life with Gajeel/Juvia friendship and minor Gajeel/Levy. Twopart.
1. I

**Disclaimer: **I own a pencil, not Fairy Tail.

**Warning: **Since when has Gajeel been civilised? Lots of swearing.

**A/N:** A big thanks to **litashe **for editing this.

* * *

><p><em><span>Alone<span>_  
>- 12 -

Life sucks, simple as. He always knew that, ever since he was a little toddler (don't go aw, he could still beat you from here to next Friday). He remembered a friendly face of a woman, her lips turned up in a sweet smile, her beautiful face covered with kind features and bathed in warm sunlight and her eyes bright and sparkling.

And then there was only the empty darkness, stretching on for miles. No light, no sound, and definitely no sign of that kind face. Just darkness and the chilly wind.

He'd cried and cried, sobbing salty tears of sadness and loneliness. They had abandoned him – whoever _they_ were – and he was alone. His stomach grumbled with hunger, the only sound in the empty world.

That was until he met the monstrous being, also known as Metalicana. The giant black dragon glared down at Gajeel, the small black-haired toddler who looked more lost than an animal in a zoo. But Gajeel had not been frightened at all. He hadn't screamed out in terror.

Instead, he stared back at the creature with his dark red eyes, wiped his tears away with his tiny hand, and then stuck his tongue out, teasingly.

The years he spent with Metalicana were adventurous. After learning the basics or reading, writing and fighting, they were suddenly off and traveling the world. They would meet other Mages, defeat thieves and villains, and cause mayhem wherever they went. While others would think of that as horrifying, to Gajeel and Metalicana, it was the best of fun.

But those fun times were quickly cut short when Gajeel woke up that fateful morning in the year X777, to find himself all alone again.

"That bastard!" he shouted out with fury when he was finally over the denial.

At first, he had thought that Metalicana was just playing a prank. Hey, it happens. Metalicana had a weird and warped sense of humor. Then, more days had passed and he had thought that the dragon was testing him. His foster father always pushed him to the limit, pressuring him to learn faster and fight better. It was possible that all of this was just a mission to test his skills.

And then it became a month, and he realized that Metalicana, his only family, wasn't coming back.

He felt his fist collide with the oak tree, but he felt no pain. The tree began to make a creaking sound, and before he knew it, it had toppled over onto the floor with a loud _thud!_ He almost smirked at his amazing capability to destroy it. He glanced around at the forest he inhabited. "The bastard…" he muttered again, clenching his fists. His eyes narrowed and he let his rock-hard fist thrash the trees all around until he was only surrounded by utter destruction.

He surveyed the damage he had done to the precious forest. It was in tatters, and he would have been smug about his strength if the anger weren't so flame-hot.

He was strong. He always knew it. Metalicana had taught him to be strong.

(_"You must train harder!" the dragon shouted in throaty voice. "You have to! There will come a time when I won't be there to defend you so you must be strong!"_)

"He knew," he said, a lump forming in his throat and tears threatening to gush out like a stream. "He- he…" The first of the cool tears fell and extinguished his anger, avalanching it with his heavy sadness.

He felt his eyes begin to water, fierce red turning to the soft pink with sorrow, and his hands trembled. His knees gave out and he slumped on the floor, with a newly formed dent in his supposedly iron strong heart.

He wouldn't allow himself to get hurt again. Never again.

Gajeel would prove to Metalicana - whether the dragon was dead or had just abandoned him – that he was strong. He would make it alone.

[He ignored that trembling feeling in his iron stomach that said otherwise.]

…

He wasn't into that sentimental shit where a place 'holds memories'. It was a fucking forest, it only had trees and grass and the odd animal that didn't get scared away by the dragon, which had inhabited the forest too. Yet, it was strange, moving so far away from the place where he had last seen Metalicana. It was as if Gajeel was finally moving on from him.

Well, that was the plan, wasn't it? To prove that he wasn't that little kid that Metalicana had found, years ago. He was still a child, but he was strong and tough and a _dragon-slayer!_ He could look after himself.

Instead of finding an actual room to stay in, he found another forest. This one was _in_ the town, though, so a few locals would short cut through. Didn't matter; not like he was scared of that _trash_. Of course they were trash – they would stiffen and scream just at the sight of his _red_ eyes. He contemplated on whether or not getting some tattoos and piercings to _really_ scare the crap out of them.

As he lay down on the dry grass, munching on bits on iron, he wondered about Metalicana. Was he dead? Had he been captured? Or, maybe the bastard had abandoned him after all? The questions were always in his mind, but he would never come up with a suitable answer. He would never know.

A drop of rain landed on the bridge of his nose and trickled down onto his cheek. Annoyed, he brushed it away, just as another droplet fall. Then several more.

With an aggravated groan, he got up and looked up at the sky, now masked with heavy clouds filled with rain.

"The fuck…?" he said aloud. The sky had been cloudless before. Paper-white, but still without a trace of clouds. Now, it was _pouring down_. It wasn't as if he was scared of the rain. He may have been an iron dragon-slayer, but that didn't mean he could _rust_. He wasn't fucking tin-man from _The Wizard of Oz._

That's when he heard the footsteps. Anyone else would have been oblivious, but his sight and hearing and even sense of _smell_ was heightened. He scrunched up his thick eyebrows as he distinguished the sound of the footsteps. A girl's, definitely. Not loud enough for a man's, unless he was real scrawny.

Normally, he couldn't care less about the stupid locals who weren't even bothered to walk 20 meters, so just took a shortcut. But, something in his gut told him that this person was a Mage. His instinct was telling him to follow.

So, he did, and got attacked in the process.

"_Water Slicer!"_ the girl shouted out with force and determination as she swiveled around.

He wasn't even able to take in any of her appearance other than her silky blue hair before blades of water try to slice him. They burned a little, but didn't leave any mark on him. He didn't think twice before he attacked back, shouting, "_Iron Dragon Club_!"

Instead of meeting warm flesh and bone, his fist only touched water. His eyes widened as he took in the sight of the girl. Where his fist would have met his ribs, so hard it should have broken her bones, instead it had made contact with water. There was a hole through her stomach, and he could see right through it to the other side of the forest.

"What the…"

"Juvia's body is formed of the rain itself," the girl told him in her soft voice. It was then when he actually _looked _at her properly.

She was about his age, probably younger, and had silky blue hair curled at the ends that framed her sharp but sad face. Her eyes, a dark blue and sharp at the corners, were hollow and empty, and her mouth was frozen in a thin smile that showed no happiness at all. Her skin was paper-white and pale against her dark coat. He observed her fingers tighten around the handle of her umbrella, her fingers thin and herself looking so frail, like she could break any second.

Hastily, he brushed those thoughts and feelings off. If Metalicana was right about one thing, it was that girls only led to trouble. Getting a soft spot for one wasn't going to get him anywhere. It didn't matter how fragile she looked because she hadn't been harmed at all by his attack. Thus meaning, she was strong and could beat him if he went easy on her.

Instead, he let his eyes narrow some more and asked, "Juvia, huh? Any reason why you're in _my_ neck of the woods?" He didn't mean for his voice to be so harsh, but he was a little more than annoyed that trash kept on invading his space.

"Juvia did not know that Juvia was in stranger-san's neck," she told him, her voice still soft and unchanged. He couldn't stop the laugh of escaping his lips. The girl was weird, alright. He watched, out of the corner of his eye, as she nearly smiled a _genuine_ smile, but then her lips turn back. "Juvia will leave stranger-san now." After giving him an amusing bow, she turned on her heel and quickly left.

Anger boils up inside him a little. She was just like everyone else. No one stayed around to talk to him. He clenched his fists.

He didn't need anyone.

"See ya, rain girl," he shouted after her, his voice harsh and loud. "Don't come in here again or you'll feel the wrath of an iron dragon-slayer."

The sharp intake of breathe is loud to his ears. Yeah, she's shocked. She's probably scared too, because she started to leave at a faster pace.

[He didn't need anyone.]

…

His jewels were quickly running out, and he didn't know what to do. How the fuck was he supposed to get jewels? He needed them for iron to eat, as well as actual food and clothes and all that shit.

What's the way Mages get money? Go on missions and tasks. But, for that, he needed to join a Guild.

The newspaper in his hands told him all about Guilds, and he ate his lunch as he flicked through the pages, wondering which one was worthy of him. Yeah, he was arrogant, but he had good reason to be. He was powerful; he was a fucking _dragon-slayer_. Those were rare. Metalicana had taught him to be this strong, and he had never lost a fight, so he was sure as hell that he would be the prize gem in whatever Guild he happened to join.

Blue Pegasus was a no go. Definitely not. Too many girls, and the few boys in that Guild would cry if they broke a nail.

**Quatro Cerberus**** Guild? One of the top, so maybe.**Lamia Scale? Maybe. It, along with Blue Pegasus, was one of the top four. But, it had Jura Nekis, one of Ten Wizard Saints, and, as much as Gajeel wanted to fight that guy, he was sure that the position for top dog in that Guild was taken.

It was whilst he was thinking about the Fairy Tail Guild, when the café he was in was invaded by a bunch of bratty Mages. Their laughs echoed the café as they ran to the till and proceeded to take all the jewels, while others hustled customers for jewels.

"Oi, you, give me your jewels," one Mage told him. Just looking at the guy made Gajeel want to barf. He had scruffy clothes on like he'd just stolen them out of a dumpster, slick and oily black hair and a mischievous face that gave Gajeel a full view of the Mage's two missing front teeth.

"Fuck off," Gajeel grumbled in reply, biting back the smirk. It had been a while since he'd had a good fight, and his hand was just itching to give someone a good punch.

"Give me your fucking jewels, or I'll beat you into a pulp," he growled at him, and then he turned his head to call his idiotic friends. "Oi, guys, check it out. This dork thinks he can mess with the Phantom Lord Guild."

His friends gleefully approach them, grinning widely and spitefully. "No shit?" the redhead asked. "Well, we'll show him, right guys?" His friends nodded in agreement.

Gajeel let his smirk widen and he slowly stood up, inspecting the five guys. Not that muscular, like him, but not scrawny either. Plus, he had no idea what kind of magic they wield, so it could be trouble. But, if he loved anything at all, it was a challenging fight.

"Rule number 1," he said, readying his fist, and letting his eyes redden. The grins on the Mages faces wavered. "Never disrupt me while I'm eating."

…

Of course, he joined the Phantom Lord Guild. The Guild Master, Jose Porla, welcomed him warmly and viewed Gajeel as the best thing since sliced bread. Not to mention, the Mages actually put up a good fight, so Gajeel hoped that the others would be like that too.

Someone who could certainly hold their own in a fight was the master. Gajeel may not have fought Master (_fuck_, he hated having to call someone _Master_) and Jose may also be old, but old guys had experience. Plus, Jose's fucking _smile_ was creepy enough to send thieves running for the hills. Imagine if Jose really bothered to start a fight?

But Gajeel would get strong. He _had_ to. His muscles began to grow, he got tattoos and piercings, and his name started to get spread around with fear. _Iron Dragon-slayer Gajeel Redfox._ Badass and not someone to be messed with, unless you had a death wish.

Unfortunately, it wasn't only _his_ name that's getting around. Who the fuck was this Salamander and why was he getting so much attention? _Gajeel_ was the best dragon-slayer there was, yet this Salamander was much more popular. It was all Salamander this and Salamander that. Even the bastards in his own Guild went on about him!

(They'd stopped now, because it was hard to talk after he'd nearly throttled them.)

"Apparently, he has pink hair," Jose once told him, and Gajeel wished he could strangle him too. Gajeel snorted. _Pink hair?_ That Salamander must be some wimp. Any loser with pink hair shouldn't be viewed as competition.

Aria's head turned Gajeel's way, almost as if he had heard of all Gajeel's thoughts. Aria had pink hair, and he was an S-Class Mage too. The Air Mage was tough, alright, but he turned down all of Gajeel's offers to fight. He wasn't even _scared_ of the dragon-slayer, which wasn't something Gajeel could say the same regarding Aria. Despite his pink hair, he was creepy and gave off an ominous atmosphere that it almost made him shudder. The dude wore a _blindfold_ yet he was hardly ever beaten. In Gajeel's book, Aria was one of the best – next to himself.

That still didn't change Gajeel's mind about the Salamander. It didn't stop his anger burning by the fact that people would honestly think that that _fire_ fucking dragon-slayer was more power than an _iron_ dragon-slayer.

"_And_," Jose went on to say, no longer taunting but now bitter and malicious, "He's a part of that filthy Fairy Tail Guild."

Fairy Tail – a subject that was not to be spoken of pleasantly in this Guild, otherwise they'd be the last words you ever spoke. Jose was not a fan of that Guild, and neither was Gajeel. Now, he detested it even more. If this so-called Salamander, some guy who was probably not even a _real_ dragon-slayer but just a Fire Mage masquerading as one, was in the Fairy Tail Guild, then that Guild was just filled with _trash_.

When Gajeel got home, he began to train even more. If he ever met that Salamander, he'd show him the strength of a _real _dragon-slayer. And if Salamander was what he claimed to be, then Gajeel would prove to Metalicana, wherever that bastard was, that he was the best dragon-slayer there was.

…

His nostrils flared up as he recognized a certain scent. That, adding to the heavy rain that was going _pitter patter_ on the cheap roof that needed to be fixed, only meant one thing.

Rain girl had joined their Guild.

Some strange feeling ran through him, and he couldn't figure out what it was. It was like the thrill he got when he defeated some enemies or no good brats in the Guild who'd thought they could take him on. (That idea was still laughable.)

Unlike everyone else, he didn't stop at stare at the girl. He was curious, yeah, and kept thinking about the first time he'd seen her and if she'd changed at all, but he kept his eyes on his meal. He didn't want to seem like he was interest, or anything – because he wasn't, alright? He'd met just some chick long ago, and she happened to be here now.

The whispers were getting on his nerves.

"_She's hot._" "_D'you think she'll put up a good fight?_" "_Fuck, she's gonna take all the good jobs_!" "_Bet you I can get a peek at her panties_." "_Sweet! Finally, new meat_!" "_Have you seen her rack? Fucking nice!_"

And then, some loser had to go and involve him, too. "Hey, Gajeel! Check out the -"

Whoever the bastard was, he didn't let him finish his sentence. His hand reached out and wrapped around the motherfucker's throat, contemplating whether he should choke him or sling him across the room.

He went with the latter, because he didn't want a body to be on the floor where he was eating. Shit, you don't know how fast a dead body would start to smell and that would only mess up his meal.

The thud of body crashing against the wall gave him no satisfaction, because he was still pissed at the guys for talking about rain girl like that. They were unaware how strong she was. However, they knew how strong _he _was. Or, they were _supposed_ to, but he guessed that he should remind them again. "What did I say!" he shouted in fury. "Never disturb me when I'm eating!"

With a flick of his hand, he swung another few Mages at the wall. The same Mages had been whispering dirty stuff about the girl. It even made _him_ feel grossed out by their filthy minds.

"Stranger-san?" Juvia said in awe. He was positive that there was surprise etched on her face, even though he had his back to her. Another thing he was sure of was that she didn't belong in the Guild. She was way too innocent, and obviously she'd heard what those stupid rowdy boys said about her. They wouldn't miss the chance to mess with her, like they do to all girls.

"Ooh! Newbie's gonna get it from Gajeel!" a guy shouted out in glee, and Gajeel forced back the growl in his throat. _Bastard_. He would find it interesting and consider it entertainment to watch Gajeel beat up a girl? Save that for the fucking enemies, douche.

Everyone else hushed down too, and Gajeel was reminded of how much he _hated_ all those motherfuckers. Why did he join this Guild again? Oh, yeah, to keep them in line.

Slowly, he turned around and swallowed the last remnants of iron. "It's Gajeel," he grunted at her, trying to act nonchalant.

She looked the same as she had years ago, only taller and with longer hair. Her face was still thin and she was still pale, but there was a hint of life in her eyes as she stared at him, bewildered. "D- does strang- does Gajeel-san not remember Juvia?"

She still talked in third-person, and it was amusing. He had never met anyone so interesting. He rolled his eyes at her confusion. "You stormed into my forest – why shouldn't I remember you?" The rain poured down outside, and he remembered when the rain had been so heavy the day he had met him. "Does it always rain where you go?"

When she replied, her voice was thick with venom and anger. _Now we're getting somewhere_. Finally, she was showing some feeling, proving that she wasn't dead and monotonous. "Juvia brings the rain. What does Gajeel-san bring?"

Juvia's face turned redder and his eye caught the movement of her hand as she clenched it into a fist. The rain started to pound against the roof, almost sensing her rise in anger.

"_Juvia's body is formed of the rain itself."_

The rain was a part of her - and it followed her emotions. When she was angry, it poured down harder. When she wasn't, it was light. "Juvia brings the rain," he repeated. Rain didn't necessarily damage him or cause him to rust - but if Juvia could change the temperature of the rain or water, like now, when she had made it pour harder because of her anger - then there was a good chance that this girl could beat him.

"I'll bring the iron," he added, a smirk forming on his face. "We'll see who wins, 'kay?"

"Juvia does not want to fight Gajeel-san."

He rolled his eyes again, taking a bite of the metal on his plate. Juvia watched him, curious, but not at all scared or trembling. "It's not fighting. It's training," he told her after chewing and swallowing.

"_What the hell?_" "_Did Gajeel just ask to train with the new girl_?" "_Fuck, she must be hot if Gajeel wants her too_." "_I almost feel sorry for her – she doesn't stand a chance against Gajeel_."

He glanced at the Mages surrounding them, nostrils flaring and a snarl ready to emerge. Like the cowards they were, they quickly looked away, frightened out of their minds. "These losers can't withstand a punch from me like you can. I need someone new to train with – someone who won't go down in seconds."

Juvia gave him a smile, one that didn't fade away only seconds later, and he knew that he shouldn't have felt that happy. Her blue eyes lightened, and her face lost some of its paleness as he let her sit down on his secluded table. By the end of the day, he was sure that everyone in the Guild had dry eyeballs and mouths from the way they kept on staring at him and Juvia, open-mouthed and gaping.

He accompanied her on her first mission, where they had to capture thieves. That day in the forest, where they sky had been masked by dull clouds that portrayed both of their emotions, they had fought for the matter of seconds. Now, they would have to fight together, and he was much stronger.

As it turned out, so was she. Her skills weren't limited to the _Water Slicer_. She easily took out half of the enemies, and then, when all of the thieves were lying wounded on the floor, she stared up at him with cautious eyes. She looked guilty.

"You did good," he gruffly told her before hauling the thieves to jail. She walked in line behind him, a slight blush to her cheeks.

After a few days of knowing one another, he began to notice that whenever she smiled, the rain would get lighter and wouldn't be as loud. Juvia was the rain, and it copied her emotions.

But, still, didn't that mean she was still sad?

"You okay?" he asked her one day, when they were returning from a mission.

She snapped out of her daydream, and her eyes were full with guilt again, before the hazy memories quickly disappeared from her eyes as she realized what he had said. Her eyebrows crinkled and she replied, "Yes, Juvia is okay. Is Gajeel-san?"

He almost stopped. _Fuck_. Had he just asked if she was okay? Never had he done that – with anyone. He was turning into a total pussy, worrying about shit like that. Juvia could take care of herself. She didn't need some girl to braid her hair and talk to about feelings and shit.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied, nonchalant, and patted her on the top of head, on her hat. "Don't worry about me, rain woman. I'm the toughest guy in the Guild."

She straightened her hat, startled, but an amused smile on her face. The rain fell in tiny droplets. He was smugger than he should have been.

…

She still wouldn't show anyone in the Guild her amazing power – yeah, he admitted it was amazing because her _Sierra_ fucking _burned_ – so the idiots kept bugging her whenever he wasn't around. She never told him, but he knew.

No one would try to insult her directly whenever he was around, but some idiots, who had forgotten he had super-hearing, would still whisper. He tried to ignore it, but then, on the anniversary date of Metalicana's disappearance, he found it to be getting on his last raw nerve.

"_The fucking rain, man. I can't even go on a mission because of that bitch._"

He's off his chair in seconds and got that idiot pinned to the wall. Juvia gasped and everyone gathered around. "Gajeel-san…" she muttered, shocked. Wasn't she used to it yet? His anger that screamed to get vent out? The raw redness in his eyes that pierced anyone he wished – the same eyes she would look at, yet not tremble, or cower away from him.

"You say something?" Gajeel asked the Mage. The coward hastily shook his head, sweating bullets and extremely frightened. That smirk on his lips showed accomplishment – he was strangely proud of himself for having been able to scare anyone. Metalicana had been fond of scaring him, and then would laugh in Gajeel's face whenever he got scared. Like father, like son.

"_You were scared? Toughen up, or else I'm just wasting my time,"_ Metalicana had said.

"Only pussies can't handle a little rain. You don't deserve to be in this Guild," Gajeel told the Mage. His fist met the soft flesh of the man's face, and he heard the successful _crack_. He let the Mage slither to the floor and turned away, flexing his hand. He gave all the others a look that said, _get out of my way or that'll happen to you, too._

Juvia followed him back to his seat at their table. It'll be just his table now, since she'd seen his real anger. The shit he did during missions? Not anger at all. His attacks weren't powered by anger; they were powered by determination to get the job done. She'd never seen his actual anger. Her consistent rain had dulled down his rage, seeping through the cracks of his armor and getting under his skin.

Gajeel, having his back to her, tried to occupy himself with the leaflet for a mission requiring them – _him_ – to defeat some 'demons', thus breaking a supposed curse. _What the fuck is this?_ He scrutinized the confusing mission. _Fuck knows. Juvia's smart, maybe she-_

He stopped himself from completing that thought. Juvia was scared of him, and had left him. Everyone always left him.

"Juvia did not need to be defended," she told him, with him having his back to her. "But… thank you, Gajeel-kun."

_Gajeel-kun?_

His narrow red eyes widened. Normally, she just called him Gajeel-_san_. Not many people cared for the honorifics, but Juvia was old at heart and meant every word she said. Tentatively, she placed a hand over his shoulder, coming up from behind him, and he looked up at her with awe.

Her eyes were a little watery, but she was smiling gratefully. She looked at him like she thought the sun shone out of his freaking ass.

_Don't you fucking get it?_ He wanted to scream at her. _I'm dangerous! I'll get you hurt! _

But then she took her hand off his shoulder, blushing and nervous, and reached over to look at the leaflet. "Easy for Gajeel-kun and Juvia!" she proclaimed after reading. "We make a good team, don't we, Gajeel-kun?" she asked, smiling so much, her face must have hurt.

"Yeah," he nodded, forgetting all of his previous thoughts.

Juvia wasn't going to leave him.

[Not yet, anyway.]

…

"So, how had that mission gone?" Master Jose asked him one day. "The one with the pay of 2 million jewels?" he added, greedily, his eyes gleaming with envy and greed, like the slits of a snake. His lips were turned in a splitting grin that hurt just to _look_ at.

"Never got around to finishing it," Gajeel replied, staring at the Guild doors, waiting for Juvia. He wanted to show her the leaflet on the table, the one that said the reward for the mission was 500,000 jewels.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jose's smile quickly face away and his eyes widened with shock. "Never finished? And why not?" he asked in outrage. His anger was boiling.

Gajeel sharply turned his head to his Guild Master, eyes questioning and testing the man. Gajeel was the only person Jose never yelled at or scolded.

Jose quickly recovered and calmed down. "I meant to say," he said, plastering another smile on his face, "Why didn't you finish the mission? I would never think that a mission only enquiring you to steal some jewel would be difficult for _you_," he added, a hint of malice in his eyes, and Gajeel bristled.

"Of course not," Gajeel told him, also placing a large fake smile on his face. Others were listening in on their conversation, their heads turned to them. "Juvia got hurt during the mission, so we had to get her out."

Jose lost his smile for a second, then quickly put it back in place, but Gajeel could see him gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

"Hello Master Jose-sama," Juvia shyly told their Master as she approached them. "Hi, Gajeel-kun," she added, less nervous, to Gajeel who nodded in return.

"Hello Juvia," Jose brightly said. "Gajeel-_kun_," he added the honorific with jeer, "was just telling me all about the mission you two went on, and the tragedy that you got hurt."

Her cheeks flooded with color. She awkwardly stood near them, her eyes on the floor and her face covered with guilt. "She put up a good fight before that," Gajeel told Jose.

It'd been amazing. She'd let loose and brought out her most deadly attack – the _Sierra__. _Her whole body had been a state of bubbling rage and fury, boiling so much that actual steam was rolling off. The enemies had legit _screamed _their heads off and then run off faster than Totomaru running away from a skunk who had caught sight of his white-and-black striped hair and mistaken him for a potential mate.

However, the entertainment ended there because then Juvia collapsed next to him, where he had been lying down for rest, and he noticed the bleeding wound on her thigh. There was no way she'd be able to walk the way home.

It had landed home having to take her back, bridal-style, like she was a new blushing bride and he was the groom. He wrinkled his nose that the thought of wearing a tuxedo. No thanks.

He didn't want to get married, and didn't plan to. Girls were too much trouble. Juvia, however, had this habit of unintentionally getting under his skin and had rusted away the metal cage around his heart to make him _feel _something.

That guilty feeling that went through him when he saw her figure on the floor, tired and quietly sobbing? It was the worst.

"If you say so," Jose said. "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, Gajeel, that I have a mission for you."

"I'm planning to go on a mission with Juvia," Gajeel replied, holding up the leaflet.

"Oh, but I think this one is _much_ more important," Jose said with a devious grin. "The reward is 5 million jewels."

Silence filled the Guild Hall; no whispers, nothing at all.

Juvia's eyes had widened to the size of two small swimming pools, and Gajeel was shocked too. He had his mouth hanging open. Jose was grinning with glee.

"5 million?" Gajeel repeated, breaking the silence. "_Five_ _fucking million?_"

"Yes!" Jose nodded. "And you're the man for the job! They asked _specifically_ for you."

The shock and exhilaration faded. "What, just me?" he asked, glancing over at Juvia, who was still gaping. He had gone on so many missions with her that he had forgotten what it was like to go on one alone.

Now Jose let his glare appear. "They asked _specifically_ for you, Gajeel and it would be a perfect opportunity to raise _our_ Guild's popularity and one-up that _Fairy Tail Guild_."

"Gajeel-kun, you have to!" Juvia insisted.

"But, I'll be gone for a week or something," Gajeel told her.

"I'm sure Juvia will be able to manage without you," Jose told him. "After all, if she is as powerful as you say she is, she'll be capable of going on a mission by herself."

It went downhill from there.

The mission was challenging, more than he could even imagine. He had been so used to having Juvia watching his back that he was no longer aware of all of his surroundings. Fuck, how was this sticking to his original plan, made years ago, of proving to Metalicana that he could make it on his own? How was this sticking to Metalicana's teaching, the guy who had told him that girls only led you to let down your defenses? Well, Metalicana's words of wisdom had spoken truth; that girl made him helpless. He hated to admit it.

When he got back, he immediately went to the Guild Hall instead of going home to rest. He had found Juvia sitting on their table, alone and being unbothered by everyone else. "Hey," he told her as he sat down.

She brightened at the sight of him. "Hi, Gajeel-kun! How was your mission?"

He was eager to tell her the details of his mission, but asked, out of curiosity, "Did you go on any missions?"

Her eyes flickered with annoyance. "First, I went on a mission with Aria-sama," she told him.

"_Aria_?" he repeated in scrutiny.

"Yes," she nodded. "The one with the pink hair and the blind-fold."

He rolled his eyes. "I _know_ who he is. But don't you find him kind of creepy?"

"Creepy?"

"Yeah. He's always crying and shit, upset with the world, and putting all that sadness into his fighting. It's weird."

"Juvia understands him," she distantly said, glancing out of the window. He looked, too, and watched as droplets of rain dribbled down the window. "Aria-sama wanted to see how his Air magic and Juvia's Water magic could work together." Gajeel nodded, uninterested and hardly paying attention. "And then Juvia went on a mission with Ricky-san."

"Ricky?" he asked, suspicious. He glanced around the Guild Hall until his eyes landed on Ricky, the Mage with sandy-blond hair, who was laughing with his friends. He was annoying, just like the rest of them. "Why him?"

"Ricky-san asked Juvia," Juvia replied, her voice now filling with unfamiliar malice. "And then he took all of the jewels."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed and he looked back at Juvia. "You shouldn't have thought more of the slimy bastard. You shouldn't have trusted him." After a pause, he added, "You shouldn't trust anyone."

"No one?" Juvia asked, eyebrows raised.

"Not even Master," he strictly told her, red eyes burning. "You got that?"

She nodded and the lapsed into a silence, like usual. They hardly talked, because they didn't need nor wanted to. He liked that. Juvia never asked him any personal questions. Not because she was scared of his reaction, but because she understood that personal questions were not to be asked because the answers were to be kept to themselves.

"Gajeel-kun," she said, her voice soft, breaking the silence. He turned his head to look at her. "Can Juvia trust Gajeel-kun?" she asked, eyes questioning.

After a beat, he told her, bluntly, "No."

[He had promised himself that he would make it alone. If it wasn't her leaving him, like everyone else in his life had done, it would be him leaving her.]

"Don't trust me either."

…

He had been more focused on the second mission Juvia had gone on without him, the one which had only resulted in all of her rightful reward being taken from her very hands, that he had forgotten all about her mission with the Air Mage Aria.

"Aria-sama, Sol-san, and Totomaru-san have asked Juvia to join their team," Juvia told him one day, standing awkwardly in front of him, nervous and suddenly shy. "And Juvia has accepted."

"Cool, I can't wait until I can go on a mission without having your rain pouring down on me." He then turned away from her, not willing to see the hurt fill her eyes. It was kind of harsh – he was aware how much her rain had caused her pain because of how much others detested the stormy clouds that followed her – but he didn't care anymore.

But as soon as he had felt a second of guiltiness, Sol had spoken up and said, "Juvia-sama! We have found a mission!"

"Let's go show these thieves the wrath of Phantom Lord's greatest team, Element 4!" Totomaru added with a smirk that Gajeel wished he could rip right off his sorry excuse of a face.

[He didn't need anyone.]


	2. II

**Warning: **You think there's less swearing? You've got to be kidding...

**A/N:** No beta, just me, realizing how tremendously late this is, and I apologize.

* * *

><p><em><span>Alone<span>_  
>- 22 -

In the matter of days, he was back to his old self. The angry, malevolent, smug Gajeel who clobbered anyone he was pissed off with. His grin was malicious and devious, and the evil glint in his eye drove away all the newcomers to the Guild, so the Juvia incident wouldn't occur again.

Sometimes, he would catch Juvia looking his way, something between pity and sadness in her eyes, but he would then glare in her direction and she would continue having a conversation with her new partner, the Earth Mage named Sol. Element 4 was beginning to be a Team that was highly gossiped about. Not just in their Guild, but around certain areas of Fiore. They were nearly popular as him. _Nearly_.

Jose treasured Element 4 like he would his own kids (yeah, like anyone would want to sleep with _him_) because they were raising the popularity and credibility of Phantom Lord. Before that, Jose didn't have given a shit about any of those four Mages, other than using Aria for his own gain. Not only was Jose a bastard, but a _greedy_ bastard too. But that greediness allowed Gajeel to do pretty much do any fucking anything he wanted so he'd just have to put up with the old dude.

"Gajeel, I have received some information from Mr. Heartphilia," Jose told him.

"_Who_?"

"A very _rich _business man," Jose told him with a dismissal of his hand. "It's not that important. What _is_ important is that he asked us to obtain his daughter and is willing to pay a very high amount." Jose widely grinned at Gajeel, one which the dragon-slayer didn't return.

"So you want me to kidnap the girl," he said, rolling his eyed. Couldn't Jose just _say_ that in the first place, instead of annoying him?

"It's not that easy," Jose told him, his grin fading into a scowl. "She happens to be a part of a certain _Guild_." Gajeel could easily guess which, from the blazing look in Jose's dark eyes. "I say it's about time we put an end to _Fairy Tail,_ don't you?"

Gajeel smirked. "I think I like where this is going," he said, looking forward to anything that allowed him to finally meet the 'famous' Salamander and cause some damage.

He thought he may have taken it too far when he attacked those three Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild.

But he didn't want to wait anymore. Jose kept saying, "Wait a little while longer," and _fuck_, how long would he have to be patient until he was finally able to pulverize Salamander? It was taking way too long for him and Jose was just too busy being a total pussy. Gajeel knew that Metalicana would be wrinkling his nose in disgust at their supposed Master's confidence. Metalicana would probably tell Gajeel that he was a fucking _dragon-slayer_ and that he should take charge.

So that was what he was going to do, Jose's orders be damned. Those fairy freaks cared a lot about each other – he could smell their lovey-dovey feelings _oozing_ off of them – and when the found out that Gajeel, a Mage of the Phantom Lord Guild, had attacked three of their own? They would be beyond_ pissed_.

He caught the three Mages them leaving their Guild Hall, the two boys energetically talking over one another, trying to win the short girl's attention. And then he had only felt anger, seeing their friendship. He had never had anything like that, not even with Juvia.

"What do we have here?" he asked, taunting them as he dropped down from the sturdy branches of the giant oak tree. The three of them backpedaled but didn't make a run for it, even though they were startled. "A bunch of fairies," he said in distaste, wrinkling his nose.

"You're one of them!" exclaimed the one with the weird style (it looked like the fucking stem of a plant). "You're a Phantom Lord Mage!"

He bristled. They only knew who he was because of his Guild marking on his shoulder? The _fuck_? They should know who he was! He was the best dragon-slayer out there, and a whole lot better compared to their wimpy Salamander friend. "I'm the _best_ Phantom Lord Mage," he told them, scowling, and approached them. The small one – the girl – was in a fighting stance, determination in her eyes.

No one moved at first, but Gajeel was anything but patient so was forced to act. He attempted to punch the little one with _Iron Dragon's Club_, but stem-hair saw it coming and hastily shoved the girl out of the way… causing her to fall and bash her head against a large rock. _Smart move, slick,_ he thought in sarcasm as his punch landed on the underside of ginger-hair's jaw, whilst the other flailed over hurting the girl.

But then they finally decided to attack and the girl was forgotten – well, her _presence _was forgotten, but Gajeel could bet all his jewels that the two boys were thinking about her as they attempted to fight him, thinking that defeating him would be some sort of heroism, even though he hadn't been the one to hurt her.

The ginger-haired one ran at him, his large hat that rivaled the Mad Hatter's never slipping off of his head, whilst the other used his Plant Magic to keep him in place so he was unable to move. Yeah, like_ that_ could stop Gajeel. In a few short seconds, Gajeel had kicked himself out of the grasp of the vines that had sprouted out of the ground, and had given both ginger and stem-hair a slash across their chest and faces, which were already bleeding heavily.

The small one was getting back up, although struggling to regain balance. She glanced hesitantly at her friends, whom were both slipping away into their own dream world where everything was fine and dandy. Her eyes met with Gajeel's. He saw something in those deep brown orbs, not just worry and fear. "Please," she begged him, pleading and clenching her fists. "Don't hurt them anymore. Please." There was some anger in her trembling voice - anger at him, at his Guild, and maybe at her friends who'd wanted to protect her like she was some delicate flower and had gotten her and themselves hurt in the process.

He saw himself in the reflection of her eyes, too. He was covered in the blood of her friends and his red eyes were piercing into hers. _Monster._ Guiltiness permeated through him, straight through his thick skin right to the blood running through his veins, and his stomach churned with disgust at himself. She continued to stand, short legs trembling but still upright, and her fists clenched as she looked him deep in the eyes and didn't break eye-contact.

He felt the anger and malice slipping away, until he picked up stench of blood. He whirled around his _Iron Dragon's Sword_ slashed through Mad Hatter before he could pounce.

It'd been a plan. Of course it had been. The petite girl had just been biding her time, stalling, while the other was getting ready to attack.

(Again, Metalicana was right. Girls made you let your guard down.)

He turned back to attack that _bitch_ for fooling him, but before he could attack, _she_ attacked _him_. Well, attempted to. She conjured up fire with her weird writing magic but, with his scales, he was impervious to the flames. Stem-hair was back up, until Gajeel knocked him back down so this time he would _stay _down and ginger-hair joined him seconds later.

All was left was the girl.

His hand wrapped around her neck and she choked and gasped for breath. He still could see himself in her chocolate brown eyes, but he fought that disgusted feeling churning in his stomach.

_Monster_, his reflection said. When he painted his Guild symbol on her unconscious body so that everyone would know it was him, he decided that _yes_, he was a monster.

…

According to him, the attack was pretty late. He had been expecting their Guild to burst through as soon as they'd found the bodies of their nakama, but they only decided to attack a little after.

He'd been there, hidden away, when the bodies were found, and he admitted to himself that it was pretty sadistic. The fairies all gasped and sobbed as they gathered around the three bodies that he'd pinned against the tall oak tree. They were gaping and Gajeel could sense their anger permeating off of them. They were pissed, alright. And that could only mean that he was one step closer to meeting the fire dragon-slayer.

"We are Fairy Tail!" the whole rival Guild burst into their Guild Hall. There had only been shocked silence at first, until the Fire dragon-slayer had shot a whopping punch that even Gajeel was impressed of, and then everything was then set swinging.

They had all swopped in with such synchronicity it was as if they were all one. All one big fucking happy family. He felt his rage burning, and once the tiny old man the fairies called 'Master Makarov' had left, Gajeel finally let his anger out.

"_Gajeel_!" He felt his whole face begin to ache and he crashed into the opposite wall after being attacked by Natsu. "I am the dragon-slayer from Fairy Tail!"

Smirking, he got up. He'd just met his match, and Gajeel was always up for a good fight. Finally, someone who could hold their own. At last, now he had the chance to crush that so-called dragon-slayer and show him the _true_ strength of the best dragon-slayer out there.

Unfortunately, he didn't get to end the fight. "Tch, fun's already over?" he asked, annoyed but smirking, staring at the crumpled man on the floor – the Master of Fairy Tail, whom had just been defeated by Element 4's very own Aria. How pathetic – their Guild master had been so easily defeated, and not even by another Guild master or one of the Ten Wizard Saints. If this was the power of their Master, then it only showed how pitiful their own Guild was.

The chick with the long red hair – Erza Scarlet – told her whole Guild to retreat. She was said to be one of the toughest in their puny Guild. Once he got to take out the Salamander, he wanted to take her on too.

The whole Fairy Tail Guild listened to her command and obeyed - although most were reluctant. Once again, Gajeel was reminded how different they were to his Guild, who never listened to anyone without being threatened, and they hardly listened to their own Master.

"Sorrowful…" Aria suppressed sobs.

He rolled his eyes. Aria, being as creepy as always. He told Aria that, along with telling him his disbelief that he had defeated the tiny Master Makarov. Sure, Makarov was small, but Metalicana had taught him that enemies were not to be misjudged by their appearance. Juvia had proven that.

"All part of Master Jose's plan," Aria said, for once his voice not tainted with sadness and sorrow. _Huh. So maybe it is possible for some Phantom Lord Mages to loyally listen to orders?_ Gajeel wondered as Aria broke out into sobs, once again.

"Don't cry over everything," Gajeel told him. He glanced around the building, and saw no sign of a blue-head of hair. Wait, who was he looking for? Juvia, or that girl he'd attacked? But that Fairy Tail girl was probably scarred for life so she'd been unable to join her 'comrades' in the attack. What teamwork.

As for Juvia, Jose had put her and Sol to good use. _Oh yeah, she's gone to capture that girl…_ Gajeel remembered. _That Lucy girl. Did she follow through?_ The Juvia he used to know was sweet and shy and got easily flustered. But now… it seemed that she was more monotone and silent, like Aria, without the floods of tears. Her rain caused enough floods.

He did, however, catch sight of Natsu, who was still lingering in their wrecked building. He smirked as he came up with a taunting idea. _Kill two birds with one stone. _"So… did we capture that Lucy girl?"

He heard Natsu's sharp intake of breathe and Gajeel resisted smiling even wider. Anger was brewing inside Natsu and it was just about to explode. "We've confined her at our 'Headquarters'," Aria replied, his voice dull and unbothered by the fact that they were keeping an innocent girl captive. Huh. _Did Juvia react the same way when she and Sol captured Lucy?_

"_WHAT?_" Natsu screamed out in fury and shock. "Gajeel!"

"Let's settle this some other time," he taunted Natsu, "Salamander." He gave a curt nod to Aria, who took the hint and transported the two of them out of the building. All the while, Gajeel thought, _would I be outraged like Natsu if Juvia got kidnapped like that Lucy? _

No, he wouldn't. He'd be pissed, but not like Natsu was. There was something else there in the mixture of anger and worry that Natsu was feeling. Something that Gajeel would never feel.

…

_Is our own fucking Master unable to keep hold of that fucking girl?_ He thought, bitter and annoyed. His own fucking Master had let Lucy escape. Lucy, some blond-haired girl who relied solely on those Stellar Spirits of hers to battle others.

Master had been holding her in a tower, like the princess Lucy really was, but she had jumped off the ledge, even though it was a 50 ft dive. Fuck, even he couldn't make that landing. But Natsu, her teammate and friend, had caught her, thus saving her. She had trusted him and had been sure that he would save her. That kind of loyalty and trust never died.

But he didn't need anyone to look out for him. He was alone, and he had enough strength to look after himself. Relying on others would only get you hurt once in a while, especially if you put your trust in the wrong person.

Since Lucy had escaped, it was now _his_ job to get her back. Juvia was gone to defeat some of the fairies, Jose had ordered her to, and Gajeel wished he could be in her place so he could fight.

The Reedus guy who was fucking _massive_ and was supposed to be 'protecting' her, didn't put up a good fight. In fact, he hardly fought him at all. Lucy was without her precious Stellar Spirit Keys, therefore defenseless. However, she wasn't sobbing, trembling, or begging to be spared. Her eyes, however, gave away her fear and were brimming with tears.

"Aw, you're not going to cry, are you?" he asked her, mocking her.

"You hurt Levy-chan," she hissed out at him, anger blazing in her soft eyes.

_Geez, these fairy freaks sure do like to look out for each other._ He rolled his eyes. "She deserved it. You fairies are scum."

"We're not-"

He cut her off by knocking her unconscious and then began to drag her sorry ass back to HQ. Why were all the fairies fighting for _her?_ So what if she was rich, they were getting their asses handed to them! Did they really care about just a bit of cash? Were they that desperate for money?

Then again, the same went for Phantom Lord, too. They wouldn't just go and attack their rivals unless they were to gain something in return. And no, that rush you got from defeating someone didn't cut it for them like it did for him. Gajeel was attacking their Guild because they were _scum_, and weak. They couldn't look after themselves so they had to have others look out _for_ them.

He knew fully well that the only person you could ever rely on was yourself. You couldn't even rely on the other Guild, because as he was only a few steps away from the building, he heard, as clear as day, "Those piecesof_ TRASH_ were able to take out the _entire_ ELEMENT 4?"

Wow, Jose was pissed. Well, he should be. The whole of Element fucking 4 had been wiped out. Even Aria, who was the strongest of the S-Class team. Juvia crossed his mind for a moment, and he hoped she was okay. He glanced up at the sky, noticing that it was no longer raining. _Fuck!_ That didn't necessarily mean that she was…

He clutched Lucy so tight that she would have surely screamed if she were to be awake. Juvia was strong – not as strong as him, but strong. Plus, those fairies wouldn't kill someone unless they really had to – and Juvia wasn't evil like the rest of Phantom Lord.

Unlike Phantom Lord, Fairy Tail was merciful. Until now, he had never thought that that was a good thing.

"Where is Gajeel?" Brushing away his fears and worries, he then plastered that grin on his face again and strode into the building like he owned the place.

"The Element 4 were beaten up? Well, if they were beat by trash, that makes them trash too."

_Juvia isn't trash_, a voice in the back of his mind spoke. He ignored it and dropped Lucy to the floor, where she fell with a great _thud_. "G- Gajeel-san? Is she alive?"

He pretended to think for a minute, and then glanced down at the blond-haired girl, all sad and pathetic. _Lucy's the reason Juvia got defeated_. He let his metal boot collide with her sore ribs and gave her a sharp kick, much to the outraged and shocked shouts of his '_nakama'_ whom he never gave a shit about.

"Looks alive to me," he shrugged as Lucy coughed a lung out.

He has her pinned against the wall of the building, like he had done with '_Levy-chan_'. When he picked up the first knife, a tiny blade, all he had been thinking about was that the trashy Fairy Guild was still fighting, all for this _girl_.

Why? Was she really worth that much? They were risking their fucking _lives_ for her, when they could have been using their magic to defeat criminals and roll in some money, instead of leeching off the blonde. They really were _trash_ if they were just taking cash from someone, instead of acting like a real Guild and going on missions.

They didn't deserve to be a Guild.

He grinned a treacherous grin, remembering the Salamander's reaction when he had heard that they had kidnapped his precious Lucy. He'd been beyond pissed at Gajeel, whom had almost been able to see the fire roaring within Natsu. The Salamander and the Stellar Spirit Mage had a strange bond – one much stronger than he and Juvia had had. The Salamander had been the one to save her after she'd been kidnapped by Jose, and she'd been willing to jump off a tower because she knew that he'd catch her.

What's to say that he wouldn't come again now that she was in trouble? If Gajeel kept doing what he was doing – scaring the crap out of Lucy – then he was sure that the Salamander would come running to save the day and they would finally have it off.

He aimed another sharp knife at her, ignoring the protests of the others, who had decided to now develop some fucking feelings and decide that this was 'wrong'.

He struck one knife, and Lucy cringed as it came her way. He laughed when she let out a gasp of relief when the knife struck the space five inches away from her shoulder.

"G- Gajeel, ma- maybe you shouldn't -" the man faltered when Gajeel gave him a death stare. He swung another knife, this one landing on close perimeters near her face.

He wasn't really paying attention, because he caught the strange whiff of fire. _Salamander_. It was that stupid fire dragon-slayer, coming to save the precious princess. Good thing, too, because he was getting tired of waiting.

Of course, he didn't expect Natsu to literally _burst_ into the building, anger flaming hotter than the sun. Lucy smiled gratefully at him, eyes full with joy and revelation. Natsu, however, didn't return the smile, and instead glowered fiercely at Gajeel. His power was fueled by his anger, and it looked like he was ready to take Gajeel out.

_Is this the extent they'd go to protect their nakama?_

…

And then he was defeated. Lucy had helped the Salamander by getting fire to him – the fuel that Natsu needed to use replenish himself.

Those fairies – they'd do anything for each other. He had thought that that was their weakness, but it was really their strength. Having people looking out for you, to help you, didn't mean that you were weak and powerless. It made you more powerful.

He was falling, deeper and deeper into a crevasse. He lost touch with his surroundings, only feeling that falling sensation. No sound. No sight. It was just like back then, when he had been a kid, and he had found himself all alone and abandoned. Even over a decade later, he still was alone. But he'd had the chance. He could've made friends and gotten closer to people.

He had promised himself he'd do it alone, because he wanted to prove something. Only later did he find out it was out of fear that he made this promise – fear that he would be abandoned all over again.

_"Fear makes you stronger._" Suddenly, there was sound in the hollow hole he laid in. The deep, hoarse voice of Metalicana filled his joyful ears. _"Confront your fear, and you will become stronger."_

…

He would sit on the demolished building where only rubble lay, and wait. And eat. And wait some more.

What he was waiting for? He was not entirely sure. He thought it may have been Juvia – he had only seen her once since the Guild had been disbanded. She'd looked… happier. Like the sun which had finally come out after a heavy rainfall. She'd smiled and told him that '_Gray-sama_' had taken away her rain, hearts in her eyes and practically _swooning_ on the spot. He wasn't entirely pleased that she had fallen for one of the fairies, but she _was_ happy, so they couldn't be _all_ bad.

Then the old dude called Makarov was approaching him, telling him that the rain woman (he should probably get a new nickname for her since there was no longer any rain) had joined the Fairy Tail Guild. _Fuck_.

Master Makarov offered out his hand and welcomed Gajeel into his Guild, although reluctantly. A chance to redeem himself. He wasn't interested in that, but he had to make jewels _somehow_.

Then the question arose: why didn't he join another Guild? Y'know, one that he _didn't_ try to destroy? Okay fine, maybe he was trying to redeem himself and make things right with the fairies. He was sure that Metalicana would be laughing mercilessly at him, wherever the jackass dragon was, but Gajeel supposed it was about time that he stopped caring what a dragon, which he hadn't seen in forever, thought about his actions. Look where it had gotten him! It was about time for him to be his own person.

Of course, he didn't tell Natsu that. What? Did you think he wanted to look like some kind of pussy? "One Guild is as good as the next," Gajeel told Natsu, glowering. "Not that I ever thought I'd end up working at a nasty little Guild like this…"

"He's not a bad guy at heart, you know," Master – _his_ master now, too – told them, but quietly added, "At least, I hope not."

(A lot of people looked at Master oddly, and Gajeel wasn't sure if it was because they didn't believe that he wasn't a bad guy, or because they didn't believe he had a heart.)

"Juvia is glad that Gajeel-kun has joined the Guild!" Juvia chirped happily the next morning. He grunted in response and walked straight to the request board. Great, he was stuck doing the lower missions now, because he was no longer an S-Class Mage. "But…" he didn't like her tone of voice, or the slight anger he could smell of off her - anger that was directed at _him_.

"Gajeel-kun, Juvia thinks you should get closer to everyone," she sternly told him, her voice not wavering. "Juvia only wants Gajeel-kun to fit in because Juvia is your only nakama."

_Nakama._ Everyone was obsessed about that. But if it was important to Juvia, then he guessed he could try. After all, it was 'cos of her that he got into the Guild in the first place. The Guild had brought out her bubbly side, and she was much more talkative and confident now, so it wasn't all bad. She cheered him on from where she sat on the table as he sung the lame-ass song while the weird Lucy chick danced and the other Mages looked on, confused and laughing.

The song didn't stop the Mad Hatter and stem-hair (he should start calling them by their real names) from calling him out to 'talk'. He still went, all the while he knew why they'd called him, and Levy had cowered away so, yeah, he guessed he deserved whatever payback they dished out.

Juvia's voice rang in his ears as they attacked, and he willed himself not to retaliate. _"Juvia thinks you should get closer to everyone."_ They wouldn't like him, even after they got all their anger out, but if he attacked back then they would hate him even more. Plus, he wasn't a pussy and their payback didn't hurt that bad.

Laxus, on the other hand… Shit, his magic _burned_ and there was nothing he could do to stop him. The electricity shot through him until even his blood was burning with the sudden electric charge. "It's your fault we're being made fun of! Why don't you just die?" Laxus screamed as he attacked and blood dripped out of Gajeel's wounds as the shouts of vengeance assaulted his ears. Whatever. He had to endure it, if he ever wanted to stay in that Guild without being glared at every second of everyday.

Then Laxus's attack changed targets and Gajeel used whatever was left of his energy to hastily leap in front of Levy, thus saving her from the impending attack. He walked away with his pride still intact, making it all out like it was nothing, but he wished he could look back to see their reaction. He wanted to see his reflection in her eyes and see that he wasn't a monster anymore.

"Stop Laxus," she told him, and their eyes met once again, and it was only determination he saw in her eyes. No malice, or anger, or sadness. No fear, either, and he was glad. She really believed in him and that was all that mattered.

He was sure that if 'Master' Ivan saw the encounter between Gajeel and Levy, the old guy would grin and congratulate Gajeel in having been able to make Levy think of him as a comrade. But Gajeel really did want them to think of him as a comrade. Not just because he needed Ivan to think he was faithful to him, but also because if the Fairy Tail Guild didn't trust him, then there was no way he could redeem himself in their eyes. He'd already disappointed Juvia the first night he arrived at the Guild because he'd ended up pissing off the Salamander again.

He really _did_ want the Fairy Tail Guild to think of him as their comrade. But for that to happen, Master Makarov must be able to trust him. And the only way for that to happen was for him to take on this dangerous job and suck up to Ivan.

When he and the Salamander face Laxus off, all he could think about was that Juvia was hurt because of the blond-haired bastard and his team, yet guy hardly felt any sympathy at all for her. (The fact that Laxus also tried to attack Levy may have crossed his mind too, not that he was willing to admit that the little bookworm actually, y'know, _meant_ something to him.)

Juvia approached him after, while he was bandaged up and Natsu was sitting by his side, looking like a glorified mummy. "Juvia is glad that Gajeel-kun is not hurt," she told him with a smile, but then her eyes glanced over his arms, which were both bandaged up, and his leg that was in a cast. "Not _severely_ hurt," she said instead, laughing a little, and he would smile in return if his face didn't ache. It was good to hear her laugh.

Her cheek was a faded grape purple, yet she smiled like it didn't hurt the slightest, and he couldn't help feeling a little pissed at her. She had deliberately hurt herself – not allowed someone to attack her, she was the one to hurt herself. "You were willing to get hurt just so they'd think of you as _nakama_?" he spat out, annoyed.

Natsu said something – tried to say, but his words were muffled by the bandage around his mouth (thank you, Mirajane). Juvia looked at Natsu oddly, while Gajeel was just irritated. "Oi! Bunny girl!" he called out to the blond-haired girl, whom turned to face him with an aggravated look on her face. "Your boyfriend over here wants some fire food!" he told her, nodding to Natsu.

Salamander looked between annoyed that no one could understand what he was saying, but also really hungry and his bandage around his mouth became moist with drool as he envisioned the food. "He's not my boyfriend!" Lucy screamed in denial.

"Is that because Lucy is after Gray-sama?" Juvia shouted back, furious, and Gajeel stared at her in bewilderment.

"I'm not…" Lucy gave out a groan, realizing it was no use, and she turned to Mirajane and asked for fire-food for Natsu.

"Rain woman!" Gajeel called her attention back to him. "Why? Is being their nakama worth that much to you?"

"But… did Gajeel-kun not do the same?" Juvia asked, nonplussed. "Gajeel-kun let Jet, Droy and Laxus attack him and didn't do anything to stop them, all because he wants them to see him as their nakama."

"It's not the …" he began to say, but Juvia was looking at him all searchingly and he sighed. It was somewhat similar, he had to admit.

"Juvia is deeply sorry that she told Gajeel-kun to try and get along with everyone," Juvia said, her gaze going to the floor. "Juvia didn't know that what she said would get Gajeel-kun hurt."

"Don't sweat it," he told her with a roll of his eyes. The guiltiness was still radiating off of her like stink waves. And it was annoying, like stink waves. "Really, rain woman. It doesn't matter. Nakama have to forgive each other, right?"

She brightened at the word. "Gajeel-kun is right!" she said and he laughed because, wasn't he always? "That's why Levy-chan forgave you."

He did a double take because _what the fuck?_ "She said that?" he asked in skepticism.

Juvia nodded enthusiastically, then glanced back. "Levy-chan is coming this way! Juvia will leave you two to talk in private!" And then she dashed off in excitement, a spring in her step that he'd never seen before.

"Hi," Levy shyly said to him as she approached him. From her side, Lucy is stomping over, aggravated, with oven-mitts on and a plate full of fire food in her hands. The blonde walked over to Natsu, annoyed, and sat next to him while Levy continued to stand, swaying awkwardly on the spot. That confidence that he'd seen in her, while she'd been cracking the code of Freed's runes, had quickly evaporated. Still, she was able to stand next to him without shivering or trembling, so he looked at that as an improvement from when he first arrived at the Guild.

"Hey," he replied, watching from the corner of his eye as Lucy spoon-fed Natsu. _Are they always like this?_ It was sickening to watch because they kept on acting all cutesy with one another. It was almost as if they were dating.

"So, uh, thanks," she timidly said. "For stopping Laxus… and for saving me," she quietly added, but he was able to hear her.

"Its fine," he told her, giving her a shrug that hurt his sore shoulders. He stifled a wince. "And I'm… you know, sorry."

"Its fine," she told him, giving him a small smile. "I uh, should get back." She glanced over her shoulder, where Jet and Droy were watching them with narrowed eyes. "Bye," she added and then walked off.

His eyes were glued on her as he watched the Fantasia Parade from the bench outside. He still couldn't stand upright without crying out in pain. She was just a ball of joy, and it was hard to believe that she had been attacked a few days back, and had been turned into a stone statue only the day before. The Fairy Tail Guild never let anything get to them, because as long as they had one another, everything was fine.

The sun began to set, and the clouds tinged with pink that clashed with the blue sky. Red against blue; Juvia's eyes met with his, and her face broke into an overjoyed grin. He smiled back at her, an actual smile. There he was, surrounded by the whole of Magnolia as they watched the parade. Suddenly, he didn't feel so alone anymore.


End file.
